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According to the strategists polled, Rice is one of three first-place finishers for the “most-favored Romney running mates.”
Admittedly, Rice’s name came as a shock to me. Her name carries with it the indelible connotation of the Iraq War. She served as the face of Bush Administration foreign policy for eight years. While the war may no longer be a political issue, Condi is known by voters for the Bush Doctrine, a foreign policy approach that seems to have fallen out of favor among many voters recently, even Republicans. Unfortunately, the Iraq War reputation will prevent Rice from drawing broad support among American voters, and maybe even among conservatives. The conservative base is not looking for a conservative solution to foreign policy as much as it’s looking for a fiscal conservative leader. Whatever Rice may bring to the table on other policy issues, her persona will be marked and probably dominated by Bush’s foreign policy.
More importantly, it is unlikely Rice would want to leave Stanford for the campaign trail and the dull job of Vice President. Rice told Stanford News in 2009:
I’ve always assumed I would come back to Stanford…Stanford is my home. I’m comfortable on the campus. I hope pretty soon to get out among students…
Perhaps Bedard just spoke to too many past Bush administration officials for his internal, off-the-record poll, because I do not think most pundits would put Condi anywhere near the top of the short list of Romney vice presidential nominees.
